


Don't Let Go

by Runic



Series: The Fates of Stars [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Comfort, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Memories, Nightmares, Obsession, One-Sided Attraction, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22635871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runic/pseuds/Runic
Summary: After Fort Merceus, Claude's mind cannot focus on the next stage of the war. He keeps remembering the way the Death Knight stared at Byleth, hungry and obsessive, wanting nothing more than to take her away from him again.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: The Fates of Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847212
Comments: 9
Kudos: 186





	Don't Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to Jullika for betaing for me! She is best!
> 
> I needed a bit of a break from writing smut, so have some comfort. I know Dimitri gets that really dramatic line with the Death Knight, but I still always think about what Claude thinks about his obsession with Byleth. It can't sit well with him. Although he doesn't make an actual appearance, I'm tagging him because he is so pivotal to the story.

  
“Why don’t you get some sleep?”

Claude lifted his head, eyes softening at the sight of his beloved Teach standing in the doorway.  _ Eyes sparkling in moonlight, arms wrapped around his neck pulling him in close. _ He shook his head, putting down one of an endless series of reports with a sigh. His head hurt and his eyes felt strained, only now realizing that the candles had burned out and he was reading by moonlight. “What time is it?”

“Well past midnight,” Byleth answered, stepping into the room. She dragged a chair over to him, her knee brushing against his when she sat down.  _ The feel of lace under his fingers as he pulled down her leggings to reveal pale flesh, unbelievably soft and warm against him. She silently laughed at the reverence and open awe on his face. _

Claude sighed and leaned back, dragging his fingers through his hair.  _ Unable to keep his eyes closed, safe in her arms, his head against her shoulder. Those oh so talented fingers running through his hair, drawing an embarrassing noise of joy from his throat. _ “There’s so much damage from Merceus, the reports haven’t stopped coming in.”

“But you won’t be able to see them if you work yourself to death,” Byleth countered. Alone as they were now, she felt comfortable to take his gloved hand in her own. She traced the seams of the leather, the simple gesture doing something strange to Claude’s heart. She was too cute, too good for his heart.  _ A blush coated her cheeks as he pulled away, both breathing heavily from their first kiss. His lips tingled pleasantly with her warmth. _ “Come to bed?”

Claude grinned at her, leaning in close to brush his lips over her cheek. Even in the moonlight he could see a faint dusting of pink left in the wake of his touch. It amused him how she could take Sylvain’s jokes without batting an eye, but when it came to him, well, as he learned in Derdriu, that was a completely different story. “We’re in cramped quarters here. Aren’t you worried someone will notice?”

Byleth shook her head, mint locks falling in her face. “Not if it means you’ll be taken care of.”

Heat blossomed across his face, and Claude knew his own blush was deeper than the one that had just faded from Byleth’s skin.  _ Her lips were blazing hot against the inside of his thigh, fingers tangling in her hair as he whined and begged for her touch.  _ “Ah,” Claude stumbled, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, “uh, well…”

Byleth blinked back at him, those eyes staring straight into his soul. Her grip on his hand tightened, and she pulled him closer to her. “What’s wrong?”  _ What’s wrong? Everything, my friend. Everything was wrong, because the only thing he wanted in the world was to hold her close, forget the war and everything terrible in the world, and just love her. And she was standing in the middle of his room, like she had stepped out of one of his fantasies.  _

Claude thought for a moment about lying, instinctual and so easy, but no, Byleth would see right through that. With another heavy sigh, he let his shoulders slump, easily falling into her arms as Byleth guided his fall.  _ The scent of her, blade oil and lilies, wrapped around him, mingling with the sharp scent of sea breeze blown in on the night air. Ocean waves lapped at the shore, the only other sound in the room beside their ragged breaths.  _ “I’m worried.”

Byleth said nothing, letting Claude work through his words at his own pace. Her fingers danced across the back of his neck, already so familiar and comforting. She flipped the strands of his hair between her fingers, gently nuzzling her cheek against the side of his head.  _ Those fingers wove into his hair, soft gasps of surprise pulled from her as his lips trailed further down her body. She was so beautiful he actually wanted to cry at the sight of her. _

“I’m worried for you,” Claude finally elaborated. “In all of our fights with the Death Knight, he has focused on you. We’re about to march on Enbarr. There’s no way Edelgard doesn’t send him out to try and stop us.” His fingers clutched at her arms, the feel of her beneath his hands reminding him that she was here, and whole, and safe. Claude remembered his exchange with the Death Knight during their fight at the Fort, remembered the way his head had turned toward Byleth. Those intense red eyes swept over her, wanting her in a way that made Claude’s stomach churn.

Byleth was silent for a long moment, Claude actually beginning to drift off against the pillow of her shoulder. “I understand.” Byleth soft whisper drew him back toward consciousness.  _ Waking in her arms, false dawn on the horizon. Hurried kisses as they both try to dress, distracting the other with stolen touches, making the whole process take longer than necessary. Giggling like children when Nader’s loud voice passed his room.  _ “I feel when his eyes are on me. I know he seeks death from me, either mine or his. It is...unsettling.”

“I’m not going to let him touch you,” Claude said with such ferocity it surprised them both. “I…” He sighed heavily, lightly brushing his lips against her neck as he lifted his head. “I know you’re not some damsel in distress, in need of protection, but whenever I think of it…” Claude trailed off again. He only seemed to do that so often around her.  _ I… You what? Words, just on the tip of his tongue. But no, not now, it was too dangerous to start something in the middle of such chaos. She did not relent, stepping into his space. Her closeness made him weak, and the words spilled out like a dam bursting _ .  _ I love you.  _ “I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

“I don’t particularly like the idea either,” Byleth agreed. She easily settled herself in Claude’s lap as he pulled her close, his head once more finding a place to rest against her shoulder, his nose brushing against her neck. “Is that what you’ve been doing in here? Planning how to keep him from me?” 

“Partly,” Claude admitted. “My mind keeps going back to it. Makes it a bit difficult to focus on everything else.” A harsh laugh pulled from his throat has Byleth’s arms tightening around him.  _ He was so nervous, and she was so beautiful. Neither of them had done this before, and yet there she was, so calm and reassuring. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in close for a kiss. She swallowed his moan of pleasure as together they guided him into her body. _

“You should have asked me,” Byleth said softly. “I could have helped.”

She was right. Byleth always gave him a sense of clarity. Those five years without her were clouded in fog as he attempted to stumble his way through keeping the Alliance together. But trusting someone else was still a new experience, one he was nowhere close to comfortable with just yet. “You’re right,” he agreed softly, kissing her pulse in apology. “What do you want to do?”

Byleth gasped, so soft that Claude would not have heard it if he was not already right next to her. But a brief bite of her lip had her control back in place. “I think the first thing we should do is get some sleep,” she said, bringing the conversation back around to why she had come to find him in the first place. 

It was becoming harder to find a reason to deny her. Byleth was so warm and comfortable, Claude could already feel himself drifting off. “Your back is going to hurt if you fall asleep right here,” Byleth pointed out.

_ Their bodies tangled together, a perfect hit. Nothing else had ever felt this good. He would tell her everything, she needed to know. He had lied to himself for so long that someone else would be better for her. But he was a jealous man, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he could not let her go.  _

_ And yet, reaching out of the darkness, claws of metal digging into her flesh, she was torn away from him. Byleth snarled, twisting in the creature’s grip. The sharp points of his armor tore into her, crimson blossoming across her naked skin. That deep, reverberating voice echoed around his head, promising death to her.  _

_ Claude reached out, trying to pull Byleth back to him, but they only moved further from him. Byleth had found her sword somewhere, bringing it to block the scythe as it came down, attempting to claim her head. The sword lashed out, putting distance between them.  _

_ The horse screamed as its legs were cut out from under it. The Death Knight rolled upon impact with the ground. Instead of popping up like Byleth was expecting, he lashed out a kick, taking her in the back of the knee. Without armor, there was nothing to protect Byleth from the crushing blow. She cried out as her leg gave out and she fell to her knees.  _

_ He was on her then. Claude’s heart was in his throat. He tried to scream, but the sound was choked. The Death Knight shoved Byleth back, and she went down hard, her sword spinning from her grip. Claude could swear the mask itself was grinning as she was splayed before the knight.  _

_ The Death Knight knelt down over Byleth’s hips, whispering his promise of death. The scythe was at her neck, giving him time to gloat his triumph.  _

_ She was completely at his mercy, and there was nothing Claude could do. He was so far away, too far, too far, too far… _

“Claude, wake up.” Her voice was soft, but her hands were insistent, pulling him back to consciousness.

He woke with a start, drawing great heaving breaths into his lungs. He had no problem breathing, and yet it felt like his body was deprived. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and if it were not for Byleth’s warm weight against him, he would have sprang to his feet. 

“It’s all right,” Byleth continued. “It was a nightmare.” Her voice was the tone she used when teaching, bringing Claude back to reality. As no-nonsense as it was, that tone was comforting and familiar, an anchor for him to hold onto.

Claude shook his head, drawing in another deep breath, steadier this time. His nose filled with the scent of her, the adrenaline dissipating as his mind wrapped around the fact that she was safe. “Well, that was ridiculous,” he said with an unsteady laugh, trying to brush it off as a joke. 

Byleth’s fingers ran slowly through his hair, and Claude melted at the comforting sensation. “The Death Knight?” she asked.

Claude’s breath hitched and he clung to her. There was no denying she had hit the nail on the head. “Yeah,” he whispered, voice weak.

Byleth slid from his lap, Claude whining at the loss of her warmth against him. But she took his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Come on,” she insisted, guiding him over to the table upon which Claude had laid out a map of Enbarr. “We’ll plan this; together.”

She stayed by his side, their arms brushing against each other as they worked. Whenever his mind wandered back to his dream, there she was, wonderful and real, to chase it away. Together they did everything they could, thought through every possibility. In the end, it was all they could do.

Claude only hoped it was enough.

/

He stared down at the rapidly cooling body before him. Hubert’s death was a necessity, but still, he had given Claude a run for his money. He had to admit a grudging respect for the other man. 

Light footfalls reached his ears, making Claude’s head snap up, his fingers tightening once more around Failnaught. But Teach’s unmistakable figure rounded the corner, and Claude’s heart leapt with joy. Their forces were split in the initial attack, and while Claude had wanted to lead Byleth’s group, seeing just who was waiting for her, tactically it made more sense for his group, who could cover ground much faster, to go after Hubert before the other man’s magic destroyed them.

“By.” Her name came in a whispered rush, and he stepped to her. Claude almost forgot where they were, only just stopping himself from pulling Byleth into his arms. “Teach, everything taken care of?”

Byleth nodded grimly. “It’s over.”

Claude’s breath caught, knowing she was not referring to the war. It did not matter that the others were around, either cleaning up the rest of the battlefield or watching them. Claude leaned in, resting his forehead against hers for a brief second. Byleth’s eyes slid closed, taking the moment of comfort at Claude’s closeness.  _ Her lips were soft, tentative at first, as if she could not believe he was kissing her. And then all at once she rushed in, trying to take in all of him. They fell back together, hands fumbling over the other’s body. _

“No more nightmares,” she whispered in that brief moment.

Claude chuckled softly as he pulled away. “Well, at least on that particular front,” he assured her. “We still have a castle to take. Are you ready?”

Byleth nodded grimly, but her eyes shone. 

They could do this. One more step till his new dawn.

_ “What now?” Wyvern wings beat the air, the morning air chill.  _

_ He kissed her neck, arms wrapped around her waist. “Now, we end this war, and spend the rest of our lives together.” _

_ She hummed happily, leaning back against him. “That sounds nice.” _

_ It really did. It was the most wonderful idea he had ever devised.  _


End file.
